 Armored Core 2 - PC
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| GENRE |
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3D Mech combat |
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| PLAYERS |
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00 |
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| PUBLISHER |
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Agetec |
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| DEVELOPER |
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| ESRB |
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| CREATED |
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01/07/04 |
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Giant Mechs good! Lyn Min Mei bad.
What do you get when you mix a solid Playstation title, armaments designed
by Masaharu Kawamori (known for his work on Super Defense Fortress Macross),
and the power of the Playstation 2
(don't forget to shake and add lime)? You get a 180 proof sequel to Armored
Core, the 1996 MechWarrior killer on the Playstation.
That's right, a true sequel. Not another one of those watered down add-ons
that you still need to pay full price for. You see the 2 in the title? That
makes it official.
At this year's E3, Agetec had two big screen televisions and two Playstation
2s linked up using the Playstation Link Cable, allowing gamers to pick one of
a few pre-configured AC mechs and duke it out. I couldn't resist. 
The story in Armored Core 2 has changed from the original. A war was
waged that required the surviving inhabitants of the planet to seek refuge underground,
which is where all the battles from the previous Armored Core games took
place. Now, it is decades later. The surface that was once uninhabitable is
beginning to blossom again. The corporations, noticing that their underground
resources were nearly spent, decide to form an alliance. Working together, they're
are able to begin repopulating the surface.
Yet one corporation sees the planet Mars as the new frontier for human civilization,
and begins terra-forming the planet. Over the next few decades, many other corporations
stake their claim on Mars and follow suit. It doesn't take long for the fighting
to begin again and Mars is the new battlefield.
Let me tell you up front: Armored Core has never looked better. The
huge color pallette is impressive and the variety and detail in the textures
is amazing. But it took witnessing the sheer number of moving parts on your
AC mech that truly made me want to quit GR and enlist at my local Raven Recruiting
Center (No quitting allowed, Shawn. Remember that flaming pen when you signed
your contract? - Ed...). You can actually see the vents and metal flaps
on your mech open and close. It's these kinds of bells and whistles that really
show off Agetec's attention to detail.
As with previous Armored Core games, players will be able to configure
an original AC mech using parts and paint options provided within the game.
Only this time, the customization has reached staggering proportions. There
will be 10 billion (!) combinations possible, including parts and color customizations.
This is probably the most anxiously awaited new feature AC2 will bring
to the PS2.
Another new and interesting feature is the radiator. The radiator acts just
as it does in a real life automobile, serving as a cooling unit for your AC.
This means you will now have to contend with overheating issues caused by excessive
boosting, weather conditions and consecutive enemy attacks. Very cool.
What excites me the most about Armored Core 2 is that Agetec decided
to keep the link cable option. If any of you GR-ites read my review for Armored
Core: Master of Arena, you already know that I am a huge advocate of the
Playstation Link Cable. Split screen just doesn't cut it for me. I need to see
the action as big a possible.
Along with the link, AC2 will share the same play modes as its predecessors
- Single Player Story mode and 2 Player Split-screen. Needless to say, this
is the least ambitious aspect of the game. A multiplayer cooperative option
would be a nice addition...
Fortunately, Agetec has announced that AC2 will be ready just before
the PS2 ships stateside in October, so it should be a launch title. I, for one,
will be crossing off the days.
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